November 21, 2010 10:45:58 PM CET
I've posted this in the Dutch subforum too because either the Netherlands or Belgium is fine with me. I don't know if the same people browse both forums, so I'm very sorry if it's a breach of the site's etiquette.
I'm 17 years old and currently attending College in Quebec (a 3 year program which leads you to the workforce, but it's not really an university degree per se.), and I want out... badly. I want to move to the Belgium or the Netherlands by the autumn next year, but the problem is that I have no idea how to come about achieving this, don't have any money, nor do I know how to tell my parents.
My plan up until now was to finish my degree here in Quebec, work for an year to get enough money, and then enroll in an university course in the Netherlands or Belgium. However, I just recently spoke with a childhood friend of mine which 'ran away' from his family and moved to Brazil ... at the age of 16. He told me that I can move out of Canada right now, regardless of how much money, of my degree, etc. He said I can get a job without a degree (you know, kind of like a bartender... those jobs that make you go through a 6 month class and then hire you automatically). And now, I want to move to Europe... the sooner the better.
So I come here to ask you, *how can I achieve this*? By the autumn of 2011, I'll have some money saved up, will have completed one year of college (which is the equivalent of an american high school diploma which is the requirement for international students.). I'd love to go there and start university right away. I'll end up paying my tuition with student loans, so I'll get eur10k debt at most, which is not too bad by north american standards. The other, much more intriguing option is to do as my friend suggested and get a job that requires a very small amount of training, but I'm afraid no one would hire me with my minimalistic dutch (another question arises - what kind of jobs require less dutch and more English?), even if I'm fluent in French and somewhat above average in English.
I've gone through some crap already, so I'm not afraid of immigration / relocation. I'm European expat (I have my European citizenship, so there isn't much documentation required.), and I've gone through a lot of crap already - I've slept on a wooden floor, I've gone through starvation, I've seen my roommate eat the food my parents set aside for me, and I've been robbed... all by the age of 12. At some point, I would only eat apples after coming back from work. It all never bothered because I was small and the whole adventure was beyond amazing. All that to say that I don't really mind living in relative misery. You might get depressed, but life is like a wave function, so suck it up and wait for the good times. Anyways, back on topic ...
And yes, I know I am young and that I have all the time in the world. I just feel that the world is mine to discover, and I'm sure that if I don't relocate soon, I'll be deeply disappointed in a couple of years.
Yeah, it's a very general question and I know this post is rather unorganized and sloppy - my apologies for that. Any tips, advice is welcome. Anything at all. Even if you think I should be more patient and finish my degree first - tell me so. **EVERY** piece of advice is welcome.
